Wed, Mar 01, 2006
Made Four Flights, Rescued 282 People
In a ceremony held at the Sikorsky Aircraft booth on the floor
of the HAI Heli-Expo 2006, Sikorsky recognized Lt. Mike Rasch and
Petty Officer 1st Class Jon Schroeder, two of the many courageous
crewmen and women of the United States Coast Guard who helped saved
thousands of people stranded by Hurricane Katrina.
As the floodwaters surged in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf
Region, US Coast Guard helicopters were the first on the scene. At
the height of the relief effort the Coast Guard had more than 50
percent of its operational H-60 Jayhawk fleet involved in Katrina
operations. Jayhawk helicopters from as far away as Cape Cod, MA
and aircrews from as far away as Kodiak, AK participated in the
heroic rescue effort.
In total, the Coast Guard’s Jayhawk fleet and their crews
flew more than 800 hours and saved more than 2,500 lives.
Rasch and Schroeder were stationed in Mobile, AL when the storm
hit the Gulf Coast. Together they headed their Jayhawk helicopter
into the heart of New Orleans around midnight after the storm
struck. Operating in complete darkness in a city without power,
they managed to circumnavigate numerous hazards and save more than
50 people from the still flooding waters. In all, Rasch’s
crew made four flights and saved 282 people.
As tokens of the company’s appreciation, Sikorsky Aircraft
President Steve Finger presented Rasch and Schroeder with two
winged S statues, as well as a framed copy of Sikorsky’s
newest ad featuring a Jayhawk helicopter hoisting a storm victim to
safety.
Sergei Sikorsky, the eldest son of Igor Sikorsky and a Coast
Guard veteran who took part in the development of the
service’s rescue hoist during the 1940s, also took part in
the ceremony.
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